"America's Funniest Home Videos" Draws its Largest Audience in Nearly 9 Months

Attracting its Biggest Overall Audience in 1 Month, ABC's "Once Upon a Time"
Winter Finale Finishes as Sunday's Top Scripted Broadcast Show in Adults 18-49

ABC's Winter Finale of "Revenge" is Up in Total Viewers and Across All Key Adults

WEEK No. 10

During the week of November 26, 2012, ABC qualified as the 2nd-most-watched network to CBS, outdrawing an NFL-fueled NBC (8.03 million vs. 7.97 million). And excluding sports, ABC beat out NBC for the week by 10% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 2.0/6).

Rankings: ABC delivered 5 of the Top 20 TV shows for the week in Adults 18-49: "Modern Family" - No. 4, "Once Upon a Time" and "Grey's Anatomy" tied at No. 16, "DWTS: Results Show" - No. 18 and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - No. 19. Closing out at season highs to place among the week's Top 5 most-watched TV shows, in their season finales ABC's "DWTS: All-Stars" and "DWTS: All Stars - Results Show" stood as the Top 2 unscripted series for the 3rd week in a row, as the Net claimed the No. 1 unscripted show overall for the 8th week running.

Monday

"Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars" (8:00-9:01 p.m.)

Surging from its first half-hour to its second half-hour, the Monday performance finale of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars" won its 8:00 p.m. time slot and stood as Monday's most-watched TV program overall for the 7th week in a row, outdrawing NBC's "The Voice" in head-to-head competition by 5.0 million viewers (16.3 million vs. 11.3 million). In addition, ABC's "DWTS" outdelivered Fox's "Bones" in the hour by 13% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/7 vs. 2.4/6).

· Building week to week in Total Viewers (+14%) and Adults 18-49 (+13%), "DWTS" hit season highs on both Nielsen measures.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (9:01-10:00 p.m.)

During the 9 o'clock hour against the second hour of NBC's "The Voice" and CBS' original comedies ("2 Broke Girls"/"Mike & Molly"), part 1 of the first of four 2-part holiday installments of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" beat out Fox's "Mob Doctor" by 2.7 million viewers (6.6 million vs. 3.9 million) and by 18% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/3 vs. 1.1/3).

· The ABC unscripted series marked its most-watched telecast since October 2011 (10/16/11), outdrawing it last 19 telecasts.

· "EM: HE" boosted its time period by 2.2 million viewers over original programming on the same night last year (4.4 million on 11/28/11).

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

At 10:00 p.m. opposite stiff competition from first-run dramas on CBS ("Hawaii Five-0") and NBC ("Revolution"), part 2 of "EM:HE" retained 92% of its Adult 18-49 lead-in from part 1 (1.2/3 vs. 1.3/3).

Tuesday

Boosted by the season finale of "Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars," ABC won Tuesday in Adults 18-49.

· In viewers (14.0 million) and young adults (2.8/8), ABC marked its strongest Tuesday of the season with entertainment programming on the night.

"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's rebroadcast of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" hit a season high for ABC in the time period among Adults 18-49 (2.4/7) with entertainment programming. Winning its slot to finish as the night's No. 2 show with Kids 2-11 (3.6/11 - behind only "Shrek the Halls"), the animated holiday special posted the Net's best rating in the time period nearly 2 years - since 12/7/10.

· "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" drew its biggest audience (8.4 million) in 3 years - since 11/30/09.

"Shrek the Halls" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in in the 8:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Shrek the Halls" also marked the Net's best Adult 18-49 number (2.5/7) in the time slot with entertainment programming this season. "Shrek the Halls" led its slot with Kids 2-11 (4.1/13) to stand as the evening's No. 1 TV show and deliver a 2-year high in the time period for ABC - since 11/30/10.

· Like its lead-in, "Shrek the Halls" pulled in the special's largest audience (8.4 million) since 2009 - since 11/30/09.

"DWTS: All-Stars - Results Show" (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

Leaping over its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. and building from its first to second hour, ABC's grand finale of "DWTS: All-Stars" ranked No. 1 in all 4 of its half-hours in Total Viewers (16.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/8). "Dancing" was far and away Tuesday's most-watched unscripted show, topping "The Voice" (11.6 million from 8:00-9:00 p.m.) by a season-best 5.1 million viewers. ABC's "DWTS: All Stars - Results Show" won over all-original competition in its 2-hour time period, leading CBS' combination of "NCIS: LA" and "Vegas," NBC's comedies ("Go On"/"The New Normal") and "Parenthood," and Fox's comedies ("New Girl"/"Mindy Project"). In fact from 10:30-11:00 p.m., the veteran ABC unscripted show towered over its final half-hour, beating the combined delivery of CBS' "Vegas" and NBC's "Parenthood" by 4.5 million viewers (17.7 million vs. 13.2 million) and by 3% in Adults 18-49 (3.2/9 vs. 3.1/9). Melissa Rycroft was crowned champion of Season 15 and awarded the coveted mirror ball trophy.

· Spiking week to week by 28% in viewers and by 50% in young adults and building over its Monday finale (+2%/+11%), "DWTS: All-Stars" closed out with its best numbers on any night this season.

Wednesday

With "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "Modern Family," "Suburgatory" and "Nashville," ABC finished in a near-tie for No. 1 on Wednesday night with Fox in Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.9/8 - pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share). The Net claimed the Top 2 TV shows on Wednesday with "Modern Family" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

· The Network equaled a 7-week high among young adults on Wednesday - since 10/10/12.

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Hitting a season high in the time period, ABC's annual rebroadcast of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" won the 8 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49 (2.9/8), beating the first hour of Fox's "The X Factor" by 4% (2.8/8), CBS' "Survivor: Philippines" by 7% (2.7/8) and NBC's "Christmas at Rockefeller Center" special by 38% (2.1/6).

· Up year to year in Adults 18-49 (+4%), "A Charlie Brown Christmas" scored its best number in 3 years - since 12/8/09. Wednesday's No. 1 TV show with Kids 2-11 (4.1/13), the animated PEANUTS special scored ABC's highest rating in the time slot in 5 years - since 12/5/07.

· "A Charlie Brown Christmas" stands as the highest-rated holiday special so far this season in Total Viewers (8.9 million) and Adults 18-49.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m.)

Building sharply on its lead-in (+62%) to dominate the 9:00 p.m. half-hour in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Modern Family" (4.7/12) defeated CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 62% (2.9/8), "The X Factor" by 62% (2.9/8) and NBC's "SNL Christmas" special by 74% (2.7/7). ABC's "Modern Family" qualified as Wednesday's No. 1 TV show for its 8th straight original telecast across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54).

· Returning to original after the prior week's repeat, "Modern Family" increased over its last original airing in both Total Viewers (+1% - 12.0 million vs. 11.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (+2% - 4.7/12 vs. 4.6/12). In addition, the ABC family comedy spiked 67% over its last original with Kids 2-11 (2.0/7) to mark a new series high.

"Suburgatory" (9:31-10:00 p.m.)

In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Suburgatory" stood as the No. 1 scripted show in its slot with Adults 18-34 (2.0/6), Women 18-34 (2.4/7) and Men 18-49 (2.0/5-tie).

· "Suburgatory" was up over its last original by 4% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/6 vs. 2.4/6).

· Returning from the prior week's pre-emption, the ABC drama retained 100% of its 2-week ago delivery with young Adults (AD18-34/AD18-49).

· "Nashville" continues to see enormous increases from its L+SD to L+7 numbers, jumping by 59% in Adults 18-49 (+1.3 rating) and by 43% in Total Viewers (+3.06 million), making it the 2nd-biggest young adult gainer this season among both new shows and 10:00 p.m. series.

Thursday

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:02 p.m.)

Returning strong after the prior week's Thanksgiving preemption, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" more than tripled its lead-in among Adults 18-49 at 9:00 p.m. (+210% over "Last Resort") to win in its hour and stand as Thursday's No. 1 drama for its 7th straight telecast this season. During the 9'clock hour among young adults, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" (3.1/8) beat out CBS' "Person of Interest" by 7% (2.9/7), Fox's "Glee" by 41% (2.2/6) and NBC's comedies by 94% (1.6/4 - "The Office"/"Parks and Recreation"). In addition, the ABC drama once again dominated the hour with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· Building its Adult 18-34 audience for its 3rd consecutive telecast, "Grey's" posted its highest rating in 7 weeks - since 10/4/12.

"Scandal" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Scandal" caught CBS' "Elementary" to rank as the No. 1 series in the 10 o'clock hour with Adults 18-49 (2.2/6), while leading by best-ever margins over NBC's "Rock Center with Brian Williams" in Total Viewers (+94% - 6.6 million vs. 3.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+144% - 2.2/6 vs. 0.9/2). Additionally, "Scandal" led by double digits over "Elementary" with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54), winning the hour for its 3rd straight airing in Women 18-49 and Women 25-54.

· Surging over its most recent telecast 2 weeks ago in viewers (+10%) and young adults (+10%), "Scandal" drew its 2nd-largest audience of the season and posted a new season high in Adults 18-49. In addition the show spiked over its last telecast by 13% in Adults 18-34 and by 19% in Women 18-34, equaling series highs on both counts.

Friday

With its 8:00-9:00 p.m. comedies ("Last Man Standing"/"Malibu Country"), a repeat "Shark Tank" and "20/20," ABC ranked No. 1 against its rivals on Friday in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5), tying CBS all-original schedule and pacing well ahead of both Fox (+33% - 1.2/4) and NBC (+78% - 0.9/3) on the evening. In fact, it was the Net's 5th straight Friday to lead the pack in the key young adult sales demo.

· Despite airing a repeat during the middle hour of prime, the Net was up sharply over the same night last year with an all-original schedule in both viewers (+30%) and young adults (+33%).

· Building over the prior week's encore by double digits in viewers (+12%) and young adults (+23%), ABC's "Shark Tank" scored its highest-ever repeat performance on both counts. In fact, in the last two weeks the show has delivered its 2 biggest-ever repeat audiences.

Please Note: "Shark Tank" is airing a special Christmas-themed episode this coming Tuesday from 8:00-9:00 p.m. on 12/4/12.

"20/20" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in, ABC's "20/20" stood as the No. 1 TV show in the 10 o'clock hour for the 2nd week in a row with Adults 18-49 (1.7/5) and Adults 25-54 (2.3/6-tie). In the hour, ABC's "20/20" towered over NBC's "Dateline" in head-to-head competition by 1.4 million viewers (5.7 million vs. 4.3 million), by 55% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5 vs. 1.1/3) and by 44% in Adults 25-54 (2.3/6 vs. 1.6/4). "20/20" reported on true confessions from insiders and whistleblowers.

· "20/20" increased its numbers for the 2nd straight week in Adults 18-49 (+13%) and Adults 25-54 (+10%), posting 11-week highs in both counts - best numbers since its season premiere on 9/14/12.

· ABC's "20/20" jumped over its year-ago performance in Total Viewers (+27%), Adults 18-49 (+31%) and Adults 25-54 (+35%). In fact, the ABC newsmagazine was up year to year in the key Adult 25-54 news demo for its 6th straight broadcast.

Sunday

Opposite another big Sunday Night Football game (Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys) and a huge NFL primetime overrun on CBS, ABC grew its Sunday numbers week to week and beat out Fox on the night 3.3 million viewers (7.0 million vs. 3.7 million) and by 24% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/5 vs. 1.7/4).

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

Gaining 12% in viewers week to week during the 7 o'clock hour against the NFL overrun, ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" posted its most-watched broadcast (7.4 million) of the season to pull in its biggest audience in nearly 9 months - since 3/14/12.

· "AFHV" built sharply year to year, besting its year-ago telecast by 23% in Total Viewers (7.4 million vs. 6.0 million) and by 14% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/4 vs. 1.4/4).

"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., the winter finale of ABC's "Once Upon a Time" (3.1/8) surged over its Adult 18-49 lead-in (+94%) to rank No. 1 against its non-sports competition and stand as Sunday's highest-rated scripted broadcast series. In addition, the ABC drama stood as the No. 1 TV program in its time period for the 2nd week in a row with key Women (W18-34/W18-49). ABC's "Once Upon a Time" scores substantial gains via time-shifted playback, spiking over its preliminary numbers by 3.1 million viewers and by 1.4 Adult 18-49 rating points (+42%) in the final L+7 Day ratings.

· Increasing over the prior week, "Once Upon a Time" attracted its biggest audience since the beginning of November (9.1 million) - since 11/4/12. In addition, the ABC drama was up week to week in Men 18-34 (+6%), Men 18-49 (+10%) and Kids 2-11 (+40%), while holding 100% of its Adult 18-49 rating.

"Revenge" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Up week to week in the 9 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (+9%), ABC's winter finale of "Revenge" (2.4/5) tied its NFL-fueled competition on CBS (2.4/5 - "Amazing Race"/"The Good Wife") and topped Fox's animated comedies by 20% (2.0/5 - "Family Guy"/"American Dad"). In fact, the ABC sophomore drama outdelivered CBS' competing drama, "The Good Wife," for the 9th straight telecast this season. Like its lead-in, "Revenge" surges in TV playback this season, jumping by 3.0 million viewers and by 1.3 Adult 18-49 rating points (+48%) from its first-reported numbers to its L+7 ratings.

· "Revenge" built over the previous week in Total Viewers (+12%), Adults 25-54 (+4%), Adults 18-49 (+9%) and Adults 18-34 (+6%), earning its best number in a month on the latter measure - since 11/4/12.

· Season to date, the ABC sophomore series is up from the same point in its freshman frame in both Total Viewers (+2%) and Adults 18-49 (+3%).

Source: The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 11/26/12.